Checkstrap or the like and picker stick for under-pick or automatic looms



June 1932- G. B. HANDLEY. ET AL 1,863, 7

CHECKSTRAP OR THE LIKE AND PICKER STICK FOR UNDER PICK OR AUTOMATIC LOOMS Filed Dec. 21, 1931 /NVENTOR$ ATTORNEY Patented June 14, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE GEORGE BERNARD HANDLEY AND EDGAR GEOFFREY HANDLEY, OF HABROGATE, ENGLAND CHECKSTRAP OR THE LIKE AND PIGKER STICK FOR UNDER-PICK R AUTOMATIC LOOKS Application filed December 21, 1981, Serial Ho. 582,402, and in Great Britain December 16, 1930.

usual manner. It is necessary to provide a check strap which serves the double purpose of checking both the forward movement of the picking stick when the latter is impelling the shuttle across the loom and the rearward movement of said stick following the impact of the shuttle on its return movement to the stick.

The check strap is generally in the form of v a leather loop encircling the operative end of the stick and bolted to the frame of the loom. Inuse these straps have a relatively short life and are constantly renewed in those looms which are continuously in use. The breakage of these straps is always due to the fact that at the moment of check, the stick is at an angle to the vertical on either side of its pivot, and consequently with a new strap the blow from the stick is received near its upper edge and when this portion of the strap is stretched and the leather fibres broken, the point of.

contact is moved lower down the fibre stretching and breaking process continuing until the strap is broken at one or both ends.

The present invention is designed to provide means whereby the full width of the strap is utilized to receive the blow from the icker stick with the result that the shock om each blow is taken by the leather fibres throughout the width of the stra and consequently its life considerably engthened, To this end the strap is cut on a curve such that the ends of the loop bend in a conical formation.

Our invention is shown by way of example in the accompanying'drawmg:

Figure 1 shows a plan viewv of an improved form of check strap looped for attachment for a loom.

- which a piece of leather is cut on the curve as Figure 2 shows a sectional side view on the line AB of Figure 1 with a picker stick (in dotted lines) in contact with each end of t e strap and Flgure 3 shows on a smaller scale an extended check strap showing the curved blank.

Referring now to the drawing, we show in each figure a check strap comprised of a leather band 1 which is usually about26 inches long and 1% inches in width. This piece of leath- 60 or is provided with a slot 2 at each end by which the looped strap may be attached to the frame of the loom by the bolt 3 shown in Figures 1 and 2 at the desired position in relation to the picker stick 4 shown in dotted lines in Figure 2. The slots 2 through which the bolt 3 is passed to attach the strap to the frame, allow it to be adjusted as it becomes worn by the constant banging and checking to which it is subjected by the picker stick during the operation of the loom. It will bereadily understood that as the pivot on which the stick is mounted lies in a vertical plane about the centre of the loop formed b the strap when in position on the loom, the point of 7 contact with the stick at each end of the strap must be near its upper edge until the leather fibres break and the strap goes out of shape, unless the loop ends of the strap are shaped to ensure that contact between the stick and 8 strap is extended throughout the width of the latter member.

In the drawing we show a very convenient method of carrying out the invention in in Figure 3 so that the ends of the loop naturally bend in a conical formation as shown in Figures 1 and 2 at substantially the correct angle to receive the blow from the stick throughout the depth of the strap.

It will be understood that our invention may be applied to looped lug straps which engage the picker stick to actuate it in a very similar angular relation to the check strap. Accordingly the lug strap can be cut on the curve to ensure full width contact in exactly the same manner as the check strap.

What we claim is 1. A check or lug strap for automatic looms comprising a band formed from a blank curved relative to its length so that the ends of a loop formed by the band bend in a conical formation and said band having means on the ends thereof to permit its at- 5 tachment to a frame of the loom at the desired osition in relation to a picker stick. 2. check or lug strap for automatic looms comprising a leather band fior'med from a blank curved relative to its length so that the ends of a loop formed by the band bend in a conical formation, the band having slots at the ends thereof to permit the overlapped ends of the band to be bolted to the frame of the loom at the desired position in relation to a picker stick.

3. A check or lug strap "for automatic looms comprising a band formed from a blank curved relative to its length so that the ends of a loop formed by the band bend in a conical formation adapted to be attached to a frame of the loom at the desired position in relation to a picker stick.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification. GEORGE BERNARD HANDLEY. EDGAR GEOFFREY HANDLEY. 

